Liv and Let Liv

There’s a promising new musician in town…imagine that

I spent most of the winter cursing the cold and wondering why the hell I bought a dry clean-only sweater, so now I’m trying to make more of my day. This is why I was happy to swing by Evangelo’s one afternoon to catch local singer-songwriter Liv Lombardi. She’s got a folk-meets-indie-rock thing going on, and it’s good, so somebody book this lady some shows already!

SFR: I thought you were solo, but you’ve got a band. Is that new?

Liv Lombardi: When I started working on my new album, I realized that it was going to call for more than just my guitar and a voice. So I added Daniel Siuba on keys, Adam Cook on the drums and Ben McMahon on the bass. I did a lot of playing in bands in high school, and I’d made some attempts at being in a band before. But it never really worked out until now. I hate the word organic, but I will say that it was natural.

Does it work for you playing with other people instead of alone?

I had a lot of ideas, and very specific ways I wanted to go about getting my message across. As much as I was very specific about what I wanted, the guys did add to the music. They knew coming into it that it wasn’t about forming a new band or sound, it was about taking what was already there and building it up, making it better for the album.

So what’s the album about?

It’s about finding peace in the chaos that came up for me when I was forced to be completely alone, and the heartbreak I experienced while living in Cyprus. Beginning to end, the songs tell the story of being there, being away from the person I was seeing, having my heart broken and dealing with such a different culture. It’s called Self Medicate, and it’s all about being alone and being uprooted from familiarity. It’s about solitude and finding comfort in that. Coming from the brain of somebody like me—who is sometimes completely terrified to be alone—I learned that life goes on and it’s really important to know that every moment is important, even when you think things are terrible.

How are you putting it out?

It’s going to be completely self-released, which I like because I don’t want anybody telling me how it needs to sound or look. I’m definitely going to send it to labels and bloggers and radio stations. If I’m going to do this and take myself seriously as a musician, it’s time to take some bigger leaps.

The idea, then, is more shows.

I’ve been trying to get in at more clubs around town, because it’s time for Santa Fe to know that I’m making music. I used to get frustrated that it’s kind of hard to get shows in Santa Fe, but I’ve decided to just accept it and play the game. I think venues could be a little more open-minded, and people should be a little more open-minded about what’s going on. I’ve learned that if you really want something, nobody is going to do it for you, so why not just do it yourself?

So, why should we go see Liv Lombardi?

I’m a performer. I am going to try my hardest to put on a good show, and you can’t really ask for more than that. I want to engage an audience and have a great time. I want to make people smile and laugh but, most importantly, I want people to think a little bit.